Fig. 2
Clinical, phenotypic, immunological, and pathological features of autoimmune cholangitis in NOD.c3c4 mice. a Changes in serum TBA and ALT levels in NOD vs. NOD.c3c4 mice with age (n = 5–6 and 5/time point, respectively). NOD mice could only be evaluated until 24 weeks of age, owing to loss of mice due to diabetes. b Microscopic scoring system (left) and progression of microscopic scores of disease with age (right). Data correspond to n = 7, 6, 8, 6, and 13 mice from 2 to 3 experiments, from left to right, respectively. Scale bars: top panels: 100 μm; middle and bottom panels: 25 μm. c and d Representative CBD images and progression of CBD diameter and scores with age (c), and representative liver images (d, top) and progression of liver scores and weight with age (d, bottom). Data in c and d correspond to n = 5, 8, 6, 29, 14, and 13 mice from 2 to 3 experiments, respectively. e NOD.c3c4 but not NOD mice spontaneously develop anti-PDC-E2-specific autoantibodies (left; n = 13 and 4 mice/strain type, respectively, from 2 to 3 experiments) and ANAs (right). Photos show representative staining patterns of Hep2 cell nuclei with NOD and NOD.c3c4 sera at 1:160 dilution. Scale bars: 100 μm. f Representative images of liver infiltration by CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells (left: ×20; right: ×40). Scale bars: left photographs: 100 μm; right photographs: 50 μm. Averaged data correspond to the mean ± SEM. P values were compared via Mann–Whitney U
